Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-07-23
What IL HvpnOtiSm.
THE WAY IT WAS DISCOVERED AND EXPLAINED B,
A PHYSICIAN.
From the Leisure Hour

THE WAY IT WAS DISCOVERED AND EXPLAINED By
PHYSICIAN.
From the Leisure Hour
In 1S41 James Braid was in practice as O ply
stefan at Manchester. Thither came La Fontaine
lecturing on mesmerism and performing expert
ments OF the familiar type illustrating the theory
Of the stronger will and the dominant idea. Braid
was interested In the lectures suspected the ex-
periments to be impOstures, and declared the
theory to be false He worked at the subject him
books containing most remarkable experiences re-
garding what he called neuro-hypnotism, but
Braidism and is now described in all the
dictionaries and text books as hypnotism-
aoad Se s That q the man so
speak, could mesmerize himself by fixing
his gaze on some 1naDimate object and concen-
trating his attention He thus to his satisfaction,
proved the subjective nature OF the influence. To
talk OF animal magnetism from an tnanimate OBJ
lect was absurd. Braidism met with much oppo-
sit1On. 1t was furiOuSly attacked by the meSmer-
1sts whose very citadel it threatened, and it was
received with horror by large section OF the pub
phenomena. There was no mystery as to the
method OF procedure All that Braid did was to
take any bright object such as his lancet case be.
the left hand, and hold it from eight to fifteen
incheS from the eyes OF the patient In such posi-
lion ABOVE the forehead as was necessary to pro
duce the greatest strain on the eyes and eyelidS.
On thlS bright point the patient was TO stare fix
ediy In ordinary cases in fifteen seconds, If the
PNoISAe . iiiIoo WtTt ulleu lucy WOulu csiuCC d
tendency TO remain in the position to which they
nad been raised; in few seconds more a strange
FEELING OF exaltation would spread through him;
In lew seconds more he would be asleep and In
sensible to pain
=, Ihere never is anything new, and, Of course,
lhere was nothing new In Braid'S discovery. The
magic1ans used TO hypnotic their believers by
making them gaze at the scratches on the crystal
sphere The Egyptian priests hypnOtized theirs
py making them stare at the mystic signs on the
DrlgnC metal mirror. The anchOrtteS lifted their
eyes nxedly to the armament and went off into
ecstacy. The monks OF Mount AthoS hung their
neauS ana looked downward until they felt their
senses swim away, and the Indian ascetics OF 1887
gam hypnotic power by squirting at the tips OF
ther noses as their ancestors have done for ages.
AS TO mesmerizing animals with the
passes, which, granting Braid's theory, Is the
same thing as hypnOtizing them, there are innu-
meraDle examples. The iguana can be hypnOtized,
so can the cobra, so can the turtle. Secure their
nXed attention Tor minute or two and they are
helpless. AS 1t is with animal so it is with a
man. Hold his undivided attention for q short
period and he will fal! awayintOa state resembling
caLaepSy. Let him look at q gltttering piece OF
glass, diamond stud or an emerald pin and be-
lore his eyes have begun TO ache he will collapse.
Inere Is case on record OF a student who was
O'Clock on certain day. He was to look at the
CLOCK little before TO see how the time going.
An umpire, Well-knOwn physician, was told OIL
10 watch him. At a minute or two to he looked
at the CLOCK, and his gaze became fixed, and as the
CLOCK struck he fell back II he had been sent to
sleep with full mesmeric hOnorS.
IL does not suit everybody to hypnotic, nor
glnner, 'for fun, may find the patient 60 of into
COW ulslOns, and refuse to be awakened by tap
or pun; SO It is best to leave experimenting to
competent medical practitioners.